Winter Fun @ IAIS - December 27 & 28

If you are looking for fun and educational activities for your children during their Christmas break, look no further than the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington Connecticut on 38 Curtis Road.  

On December 27 and 28 from 12 noon to 3 p.m., the Institute is offering a program perfect for kids that takes place indoors and outdoors and is sure to entertain.  

Kids will play Native American games such as snow snake, snow boat, hoop and pole, keeper of the fire, and eagle eye.  A highlight of the program is the traditional Native American Stories told by the Institute's Professional Native American Storyteller that teaches children about the cultural beliefs of indigenous people living in the United States.

In addition to the learning experiences, kids will also create a craft to take home such as a corn husk doll, buzzer or beading.  A corn husk doll is a Native American toy that is made out of the dried leaves or "husk" of a corn cob.  It is thought to be the first known doll in America.  Children will also learn the legend about why corn husk dolls are designed without facial features.

To sign up for this workshop call 860-868-0518 or visit the website.  This program is included in the price of admission - $10 adults, $8 Seniors, $6 children; members of the museum are free.

Medicinal Monday - Thorney and Beautiful - the Black Hawthorn Tree

The Hawthorn Tree was considered magical by many cultures around the world and figures in mythology.  In Native American Lore, there is a Chippewa legend, "Why the Porcupine has Quills".  The story is about a porcupine that is being hunted by a bear.  The clever porcupine used the branches of a Hawthorn Tree on his back as protection and when the bear tried to bite the porcupine, the thorns pricked the bears' mouth and he went along on his way, leaving the porcupine alone.  Nanabozho, a trickster god was impressed with the porcupine and took the branches of the Hawthorn tree and peeled the bark away making them white and put them on the back of the porcupine with clay, which is how the porcupine got its quills.  Native Americans not only told stories of the clever porcupine but also used the Hawthorn tree for medicinal purposes that are equally as clever.

About the Hawthorn Tree

This is a beautiful tree with lovely white or pink flowers, small tart berries, and a thorny, protective trunk.  The tree has many interesting folk names including may-tree, whitethorn, quickthorn, thornapple, mayblossom, and hawberry. Its range spans most of North America and is also found in Asia and throughout Europe.  There is also a range of species and subspecies of this tree, all have a slightly different bloom, berry and ripening time. Not all varieties are trees, some are large shrubs that make good hedges.  Whatever their size is, they all have thorns.

Hawthorn Trees need full sun and well-drained soil, almost any type of soil will do.  Songbirds love these trees and will often visit them in the spring and fall to eat the bright colored berries. Most trees grow 15 to 30 feet tall and look best when grown together in a cluster. These trees are susceptible to a number of diseases including apple scab, fire blight, leaf spots, and rust.

Medicinal Uses

The flowers, leaves, and berries of Hawthorn trees have been used medicinally for hundreds of years. The Kwakiutl used a poultice of chewed leaves and applied them to swellings and the Okanagan and the Thompson used the thorns as probes for boils and ulcers.  The Okanagan-Colville would use the thorn to pierce areas by arthritic pain.  The upper end of the thorn was set on fire and burned down to the point where it was buried in the skin. 

An oral infusion of new shoots was used to wash out a baby's mouth for mouth sores and was also used to treat diarrhea in children.  The Okanagan and  Thompson used a decoction of sapwood, bark, and roots as a stomach medicine, and the fruit of this tree was eaten as a good health food to treat general sickness and build strength.  The Iroquois used the dotted Hawthorn tree used an infusion of branches without leaves for stomach problems. They also used a decoction of this tree as witchcraft medicine that was taken to prevent "breaking out like cancer", a condition caused by witchcraft.

Did You Know...

Modern scientific study has shown that Hawthorn is used for high blood pressure and that it strengthens the heartbeat.  The berries are anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant.

The name hawthorn comes from the old English word haw, which means hedge when combined with the word thorn, it literally means "thorny hedge".

Certain moths and butterflies feed exclusively on the nectar and leaves of the Hawthorn trees.

In Celtic Lore Hawthorn is a gateway tree that holds the doorway between our realm and the fairy realm. It is thought to be the tree sacred to fairies and faes.   It was also thought to have the power to put people into a deep sleep.

In the U.S. the charcoal made from burnt root wood of the Hawthorn tree was used in pig iron furnaces used to make iron ore.

The berries of the Hawthorn Tree resemble a cranberry or crabapple in looks and in taste.  Some are made into condiments and preserves.

Medicinal Monday - the Majestic Ponderosa Pine

This time of year the scent of pine trees is in the air. Ponderosa pine trees were revered by many Native American communities and were used in many ways for building material and medicinal purposes to ceremonial practices depending on the culture of the tribe itself.

About Ponderosa Pine

This tree thrives in a relatively dry climate with rocky soil because of its ability to acquire and conserve water.  The ponderosa pine has deep roots that penetrate the ground to find moisture.  It is found in the western United States and Canada from British Columbia southward through 16 U.S. states. A variety of this tree, scopulorum is found in the Rocky Mountains south to Mexico and west to the Great Plains to Texas.  Interestingly, the thick bark of the ponderosa pine tree is known to be fairly fire resistant and can survive low-intensity fires.

The ponderosa pine is a large coniferous pine (evergreen) that has orange-red bark in broad plates with black crevices when it is mature, younger trees have blackish-brown bark.  There are five subspecies of this tree and it goes by several names in addition to ponderosa pine including bull pine, blackjack pine, pumpkin pine, yellowbellies, and western yellow pine.

Another distinguishing characteristic of this pine tree species is its needles that can be identified by needle length and groupings.  On a mature tree, the needles are 10-28 centimeters long in groups of two or three and encased in a papery sheath. Female cones are large and woody and male cones are orange to yellow in color and found at the tips of the branches in small clusters.  The tree blooms every two years; it flowers April - June in the first year, and in the second year, the cones mature between August and September.

Medicinal Uses

The Nez Perce Native Americans used the green needles for dandruff, the pitch of the pine tree was made into an ointment and used for back pain and rheumatism. The Cheyenne used the pitch of the pine tree to hold hair in place and the gum was used to treat scabby skin and sores. The Flathead made a poultice of pitch and melted animal tallow and used this to treat back pain. The Okanagan-Colville made an infusion of dried buds for an eyewash; they also made a decoction of tops of the needles and used it to treat high fevers.  The Paiute used a poultice of dried chewed pitch to treat boils, and, the Shuswap used the needles and pitch to remove underarm orders.  The Navajo used a compound decoction of needles as a cough medicine and for a bad fever.

Seeds and inner bark were eaten.  Seeds were also crushed and used as a thickener for soup or was made into a meal and used to make bread.  The resin was sometimes chewed as gum to freshen breath.

Ceremonial Uses

 The Navajo removed the cones with seeds as a ceremonial medicine and the needles were used as a ceremonial emetic in "Night Chant" medicine.  Many Native American communities used the boughs of the ponderosa pine in sweat lodges for muscular pain.  The Okanagan-Colville would spread the pine needles on the floor of a sweat-house to fight off witchcraft.

Practical Uses

The bark of the ponderosa pine was used to make baskets and the needles were used to embellish them.  The wood was used to make timber and building material.  The wood of the tree was also used for fires.  A green dye was obtained from the needles and a blue dye was made from the roots. Pitch was obtained from the tree and used for waterproofing and as a wood preservative.  The Diegueno used the bark to make shelters. Single logs were used to make dugout canoes that were hollowed out with fire. This tree was an important building material for many Native American communities.

Did you know...

Fire- seasoned snags of the ponderosa pine provide a habitat for small mammals such as woodpeckers and other cavity-nesting birds.

The ponderosa pine tree was designated as Montana's official state tree in 1949.

Ponderosa Pine is the most widely distributed type of pine tree in the United States.

Ponderosa Pine has been successfully introduced to Europe.

The tallest ponderosa pine tree according to the National Register of Big Trees lists is 268 feet tall and is located in Portland Oregon.

Ponderosa is Latin for "having great weight" and refers to the impressive size of this tree.

About Institute For American Indian Studies

Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonquian Village.  Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent, and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518.